Blue Angels showcase their Christmas cheer

Going to this event has made me realise something very important: tap dancers are the happiest people on earth. Clearly whenever I’ve had a down day in the past it’s been solely based off of the fact I don’t do tap. My mistake. Credit to the Blue Angels team for getting such a great turn out. The lecture theatre was completely packed and the crowd seems really excited and responsive. Sure a lot of them would be friends of the dancers, but even so I was surprised so many people showed up.

Right off the starting block there was a little bit of drama in the technical department. As the show progressed, the speakers give louder and louder feedback over the songs, slightly tarnishing the obviously heavily practised dances as both the audience and the dancers themselves get distracted. Mid-way through the show, the tech (I’m not convinced they had any idea what they were doing) put on three consecutive wrong songs. In the end, the Accidentals were sent out as a distraction.

Technical issues aside, however, the show was a complete success. The dance teams are all so dedicated that it was hard not to be impressed, and with newcomers and old members alike the show really was astounding. The relatively new hip-hop team added an edgy flair to the event, while the addition of tap and ballet to the show kept the audience on their toes.

Photo: The Blue Angels

One minor issue I did have was that there was no announcement of who was actually dancing – while I recognised members of the groups it was unclear until about midway whether they were the advanced team or beginners. Another problem was that the dancing seemed to go on for absolutely ages; some people were in so many dances that you could tell by the end they were fading.

The Accidentals made for a nice break in the rather long-winded dance schedule, although they did not offer many new numbers to the audience. The only new song I was able to recognise was ‘Mary, Did You Know?’, their Christmas carol. While I remain intrigued to see a new set with new members, I didn’t find this particular performance to be of note.

In short, the dance show was impressive and entertaining. While it could have been a little shorter at times, it was clear to see just how dedicated all the members are. All we can do now is wish them good luck at their next competition, which is just around the corner.